I began training to be a thatcher in 1973 when I entered into an apprenticeship which was to last five years, working mostly in long straw. After completing my apprenticeship in 1978, I went to work as a journeyman as I wanted to gain experience of working with as many different techniques and materials as possible.

Initially, my travels took me to Devon and Cornwall where I worked with wheat reed and learnt how to construct a 'butt-up' ridge. (The majority of ridges in East Anglia are 'wrap-over'). I then went to Hampshire where the thatching is a combination of wheat reed and long straw.

After a couple of years, I spent some time thatching in Bedfordshire working extensively with water reed before moving to Essex and Cambridgeshire. I started my own thatching business in Suffolk in 1982 and have been based continuously in the Newmarket area ever since.

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© Andrew Neeves 2014